Petition Early Years Apprenticeships

As part of the new Early Years Educator Apprenticeship Framework which came into force on 01 September 2014, it states that learners must have achieved English and Maths GCSE's at grade A*-C on completion of the Early Years Educator pathway of this qualification.

The framework also states that if a learner achieved below an A grade in either of these subjects, their GCSE must have been achieved before September 2012 and within 5 years immediately prior to starting an Apprenticeship.

There are a large number of more mature learners who are facing the prospect of having to retake their GCSE's if they achieved them more than 5 years ago. This essentially states that GCSE's have an 'expiry date', which is not the case.

The Childcare Company would like to petition the Department of Education to either remove this entry requirement in its totality or to revert to the old requirement which is based on achieving functional skills as part of the qualification.